Phoenix: The Past, the Present, and the Future (Un
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11/18/2006
Phoenix, AZ: Yes, my home for seven years. I relocated to Phoenix from a Chicagoland suburb in 1998. It was a great place for a Mid-Westerner, such as myself at the time. I loved the sunshine, the mountains, and the people seemed very friendly. After about two years went by, life in Phoenix started to go south. People were always quick to back-stub you, but yet so sweet to the face. I can write a novel about my experiences living in Phoenix, but I'm tired now and will do that at a later date.
In a nutshell, Phoenix WAS a good place to live, in the '90's and before. It all started to go down after the 9/11/01. The company I was working for layed everyone off. I was one of the last to go, which made me unemployed in 2003. Good jobs were very scarce. I went three months before I found a job in my profession of H.R. I finally found a job in my profession in July 2003. After a month of working at that job, I found out I was pregnant with my 1st child. I then told my bosses.. they weren't happy. They kept me as an employee until I went on L.O.A. and had my child. Then they terminated my employment-- nice people, huh? It is true, AZ is a right to work state. If you like stability and employment security, DON'T move here. You can be the 'Employee of the Month' one month and then get fired the next month in AZ. Not good!! Basically, people are always waiting in line for your job in Phoenix.
In conclusion, I moved from Phoenix back to my homeland of Chicago in March 2006. Granted I do miss the sunshine and the mountains, but there are so many more cons Phoenix has over Chicago. I don't know what the future will bring to Phoenix, but the ball seems to NOT be in Phoenix's court these days. Just trust me, if you want to live somewhere warm and sunnny, DON'T PICK PHOENIX! Especially if you have children. The Meth problem alone will make you pissed off enough. Not to mention the pollution and crime is WAY high there now. Yes, the mountains are beautiful, but be forewarn of really whats go'in on in Valley of the Sun before you make the move. It's NOT the paradise you see when you're just vacationing.
Noelle | McHenry, IL